Grotius, Hugo, also called Huig de Groot 1583-1645
Dutch jurist, politician, diplomat, poet and theologian

Born in Delft, he studied at Leyden, practised in The Hague, and in 1613 was appointed Pensionary of Rotterdam. He was a political champion of the Remonstrants, and in 1618 religious and political conflicts led to his imprisonment. In 1621 he escaped in a trunk from Loevestein Castle to Paris, where Louis XIII for a time gave him a pension. Recognized as one of the founders of international law, he published his great work on the subject, De Jura Belli et Pacis ('On the Law of War and Peace') in 1625. He led diplomatic missions for Sweden from 1634 until his death. He also wrote Latin and Dutch verse. His tragedy, Adamus Exsul, was one of Milton's sources, and he wrote the famous De Veritate Religionis Christianae (1627) and annotated the Bible (1641-46). His most impressive historical work is Annales de Rebus Belgicis (1657).